Tuesday, December 7, 2010

7 Dec 2010: Today's Democracy Now!

Glenn Greenwald on the Arrest of Julian Assange and the U.S. "War on WikiLeaks"WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London on an international warrant to face sex crime allegations in Sweden. Assange is expected to face a hasty extradition process to Sweden. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, constitutional attorney and blogger at Salon.com. Greenwald says: "Whatever you think of WikiLeaks, they have not been charged with a crime, let alone indicted or convicted. Yet look what has happened to them. They have been removed from Internet … their funds have been frozen … media figures and politicians have called for their assassination and to be labeled a terrorist organization. What is really going on here is a war over control of the Internet, and whether or not the Internet can actually serve its ultimate purpose—which is to allow citizens to band together and democratize the checks on the world’s most powerful factions." [includes rush transcript]

Democracy Now! Questions Chief E.U. Climate Negotiator about WikiLeaks CablesWikiLeaks is a hot topic at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancún after secret diplomatic cables revealed new details about how the United States manipulated last year’s climate talks in Copenhagen. The Guardian newspaper reported the cables provide evidence that spying, threats and promises of aid formed part of a U.S. diplomatic offensive to shore up the controversial Copenhagen Accord. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman questions European Union Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard about the account of her discussion with U.S. negotiators on leveraging climate aid to gain the support of vulnerable nations. [includes rush transcript]

U.S. Climate Envoy Refuses to Answer Democracy Now!'s Questions on WikiLeaks Cables' Account of Summit ManipulationAt the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancún, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern refuses to comment on the WikiLeaks cables’ account of discussions with the European Union on using climate aid to gain the backing of small island states for the informal Copenhagen Accord reached at last year’s U.N. climate summit. He also avoided answering a question addressing the removal of funding to Bolivia and Ecuador, whose governments opposed the accord. [includes rush transcript]

Guardian Environment Editor John Vidal on WikiLeaks Cables and U.S. Manipulation of Climate TalksJohn Vidal, the environment editor for The Guardian of London, is in Cancún after reporting on the Copenhagen summit a year ago. The Guardian is one the five news outlets to receive the massive trove of WikiLeaks cables ahead of time and has been publishing new revelations every day. We speak to Vidal about the latest diplomatic cables on the U.S. manipulation of the climate talks. [includes rush transcript]

Bill McKibben: Climate Talks So Weakened by U.S., Major Polluters that Walkout Could Be Good News for PlanetLongtime environmental writer and activist and 350.org founder Bill McKibben has won the 2010 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship. Speaking outside the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Cancún, McKibben says, "In certain ways, [a U.S. walkout] would be the best thing that could happen. For 15 years ... the U.S. comes and says, weaken the agreement so we can get Congress to go along. Then Congress doesn’t agree anyway. It’s wrecked the whole process, time after time after time, and now the U.S. is doing it again." [includes rush transcript]

Nigerian Environmental Activist Nnimmo Bassey Wins Right Livelihood AwardLongtime activist Nnimmo Bassey has been awarded the 2010 Right Livelihood Award for "revealing the full ecological and human horrors of oil production" by multinational corporations in Nigeria and for his leadership in advocating environmental justice and human rights throughout the world. During his speech, Bassey blasted rich nations for their efforts to use carbon markets as a mechanism to mitigate global warming. [includes rush transcript]

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